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NORV TURNER THINKS SHAWNE MERRIMAN IS POISED FOR A BIG YEAR

It's interesting how 2010 season outlooks aren't so rosy when you talk about the Chargers defense at this point in time, especially considering the loses of Pro Bowlers Antonio Cromartie and Jamal Williams. It seems that it was so long ago that we have forgotten just how dominant a healthy Shawne Merriman can be. But not everyone is overlooking big #56. Chargers Head Coach Norv Turner is expecting big things from his outside linebacker and he explains why:

“Everyone talks about it takes another year to come back from a surgery. The biggest thing -- and I had this conversation about two weeks ago with Philip Rivers -- he says that it’s not so much that the knee takes a year. But while you’re rehabbing your knee, it doesn’t allow you to do all the other things that you need to do to get ready for the season.

"So Shawne went through the year and missed time with the groin, missed time with the foot. The knee wasn’t the issue. So I think having a great offseason so he doesn’t have those nagging injuries, and then the knee being a year better… Shawne had a really good year last year. He just didn’t have those game-changing-type plays that we’ve all seen him have. But I think those will come. He’s such a competitor, such a physical player, that when he gets that step back he’ll return as an outstanding pass-rusher."

CHARGERS TURNED DOWN HBO's "HARD KNOCKS" BUT THE JETS ARE MORE THAN WILLING TO STAR

Part NFL films, part prime-time reality show, HBO's "Hard Knocks" attempts to give viewers an inside look at the day-to-day life of an NFL team's training camp. Normally closed to the public and indeed most of the press, NFL offseason workouts are somewhat of an enigma. HBO had expressed strong interest in featuring the San Diego Chargers for a season, but General Manager AJ Smith was not having it:

"I think it’s fake, I think it’s phony, I think it’s put on, I think it’s basically a motion picture. And anyone that wants to be in the motion picture business, or enjoy that stuff, they buy into it, they enjoy it, the fake phone call conversations, the fake chatter, the whole thing is a joke and (Chargers CEO) Dean Spanos said it was my call and I made it very quickly."

"I’m a fan of Steve Sabol and everything he does but that particular segment to get ready for a football season, it’s beyond my comprehension."

So while you shouldn't expect to see the Chargers on TV much anytime soon, you can at least see former Chargers Ladainian Tomlinson and Antonio Cromartie as they join their new Jets teammates on this season.

As much as I'd love to be able to embed NFL.com video content, the boys at league headquarters have told me not to do it, and so I can only encourage you to go forth and watch this interview with Norv Turner at the NFL Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida:

“You look at your football team and say, ‘Here’s the things we have to get done,’” Turner said. “We want to do some of those things through the draft, so the ability to get some extra picks … in terms of looking at our football team and knowing the direction we want to go, that was important. And now we have to address those things in the draft.”

March 25, 2010

15
comments:

pass on hard knocks cuz its fake...wow that is awesome once again the man in charge of keeping the chargers from wining the big one does it again...a chance to get national exposure and the respect of the league (we all know that west coast football gets dogged on) and we decline because its a fake? thanks again aj keep up the hard work

Haha the one thing I like about AJ is he sticks to his guns, the guy is hard-nosed and straight forward 24/7. That show is a publicity stunt for diva's and loud mouths, i'm glad the chargers are working to keep those kinds of players and the "fake" image out of the organization. Nice move AJ.

I hope Merriman has a big season, it's been long enough and I'm starting to wonder if there's a correlation between his "hick-up" with Perfomance enhancing drugs and his production on the field. This season could make or break Merriman's career, I don't think the chargers will bring him back after 2010 regarless of how he plays but other teams might not be willing to pay Merriman top-dollar after 3 average seasons full of injuries and controversy.

once again AJ shows how much out of he is and will do what he feels is necessary to maintain 100% control. personally this pisses me off, because it would allow us to see and learn more about the team.

ive watched the previous seasons and they arent anything like the vast majority of reality tv shows. they focus on the coaches and usually 3-4 rookies, with perhaps 1 or 2 vets. there is very little drama and bs. its focused on players trying to make the team and coaches evaluating players. the program is literally just that, nothing else. they may show players during off hours hanging together and eating but that is about it. 95% of the show is on the field or in the classrooms talking football. imo this comes down to AJ doing whatever he can to further control the organization as he wishes. if the cameras are allowed into the situation, then the fans are able to see into the mystery that is the SD Chargers.

at minimum it would show what we know already.....norv runs a soft camp and the team starts underprepared and soft. hello to another 1-3 start!

It's funny I was watching the NFL Network interview they had with Rex Ryan about Hard Knocks and the Jets and Mr. Ryan has lost 40lbs with that lap band surgery in only 3 weeks! Dude looks totally different, and yet still maintains that cockiness. I wish our head coach had that kind of swagger and confidence...anyone else agree?

That thing with the Jets is a one and done, I bet they won't even make the playoffs this year. Their QB situation is still unstable and he's about to go through the dreaded "Sophomore Jinks" Matt Ryan anyone?? Teams was surprised with how the Jets Defense played but they will regress this year and now they will be featured in a TV mini Series? If you want to know what the team really go through CAMP go to their mini camps that's available to the public, watch all their interviews, not a scripted on camera show. Who has been on Hard-knocks anyways? Ravens, Cowboys, Jaguars, Chiefs, Cowboys, Bengals, Jets, only the 01 ravens have been a succesful team, only because they were fresh off a Superbowl, look at the others who have been in it. You don't see the Pats, Colts, Steelers, Giants on this list don't you? ..........'Nough said.

And to say a team will get exposure and respect... Does The Cowboys need more exposure? How about the Bengals? That's probably why they have so many guys who got nabbed by the cops the last ew years, they saw them on Hard Knocks, Did teh exposure help the Jags sell season Tickets? How abou the, Kansas City Patriots, I mean Chiefs, did they get any better? So why do you need this if it don't do you any good?

aj makes a good amount of decisions i disagree with, but this is one of his best ones...this team needs to move away from so much mouthing off/publicity distractions and going on hard knocks would have been a move in the wrong direction.i can definitely see cromartie eating it up though...i'm quite sure he will be able to quickly reinforce for us the main reason why he is gone from our roster when these episodes start to air...he will be borrowing other people's feet to stuff in his mouth, he just can't get enough of himself

Gotta love AJ. No BS. And yeah... I don't see the Jest's defense getting any better with only 10 tacklers on the field. And I love LT, but I don't see how he's going to make it half a season on those glass legs of his. After a season of him tripping over the chalk line and getting tackled by his shoestrings, I can't imagine a great comeback.

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